The Corrections: A Novel
 

The Corrections: A Novel

by Jonathan Franzen

Jonathan Franzen's exhilarating novel The Corrections tells a spellbinding story with sexy comic brio, and evokes a quirky family akin to Anne Tyler's, only bitter. Franzen's great at describing Christmas homecomings gone awry, cruise-ship follies, self-deluded academics, breast-obsessed screenwriters, stodgy old farts and edgy Tribeca bohemians equally at sea in their lives, and the mad, bad,... (read more)

Top tags: fictioncontemporary fictionfamilyliteraturenational book award (all tags)

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Other Reviews

Amazon Reviews (5)
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

2 of 2 members found this review helpful.
Tinky
  • Rated 4 stars

One of the best contemporary books I’ve read. Franzen’s prose is full of energy, it’s vivid, it’s quirky, and he grabs you by the collar and takes you, kicking and screaming, where he wants you to go. The Lamberts are, like us all, painfully flawed human beings – hence the multitude of “I couldn’t stand any of the characters” complaints below – and afford the reader all the morbid fascination of a car wreck. The sad unraveling of Albert and Enid is extraordinarily moving, and for all the...

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Didn’t Like It

frosty73
  • Rated 1 stars

Although I read lots of books about dysfunctional families, I don't like the dark ones--- like this. I got through the first 100 pages or so and realized that this book was not going to fill me with light or inspiration and I gave up on it.

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Community:
  • Rated 3.767735 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 3 stars
 

Newest Comments

  • Lee O

    lee o said:

    I have adored this book for years. It's such a big, juicy, raucous novel. And face it we all have dysfunctional families! Maybe being from the midwest, transplanted east--and living through the passages of my parents and their generation helps. When talking books, I usually find that I really bond with Corrections lovers. Has anyone who loves this book read its equal lately?

    posted Wednesday, July 30 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • Noelle L

    noelle l said:

    I got halfway through and had to put it down. I really disliked the characters. I think if I had found it more humorous, then I wouldn't have minded that so much. I felt like it was a pretty boring storyline. My friend that recommended it to me suggested that maybe I didn't appreciate it because I am not from the midwest.

    posted Thursday, January 17 2008
  • Mirko B

    mirko b said:

    I never read anything by Franzen, but if I would, this would be the book I'd go for.

    posted Saturday, November 17 2007
  • Jones

    jones said:

    I loved this book. It had flaws, for example, the entire chapter on the cruise ship was uneccesary, but overall, a great story. It speaks to why we continue to struggle in relationships and seek love when it causes us much pain.

    posted Saturday, November 3 2007
  • Holly C

    holly c said:

    The history of a normal dysfunctional family told after the children are grown with added flashbacks. What makes the story stand out in many ways is the exceptional writing. Franzen's description of the father's growing dementia is unparalleled. There are scenes that will have you laughing until you cry, cringing with embarrassment for the characters and aching for the pain of simply wanting to be good enough as children for their imperfect parents. A typical enough story told with prose that carries the reader along like an effortless raft ride.

    posted Thursday, October 18 2007
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